Shared Spaces – EuroShop 2020 Ansorg, Visplay und Vizona show their vision for the future of retailing

Ansorg, Visplay and Vizona will be coming together at EuroShop 2020 in Düsseldorf to present their holistic approach for the future of retailing. With the concept of “shared spaces”, the leading companies in the retail sector outline how this vision can become reality.

The world is changing, and the retail sector with it. To remain successful, market players need to create genuine experiences. This much remains clear amid the upheaval in the world of shopping. As a result of urban density and digitalisation, traditional retailers are now faced with challenges and with the need for an ethical rethink – sustainability and a longing for meaningful consumption. For experiences rather than merely crude status symbols. It is authenticity, uniqueness and specialness that should ultimately win over customers.

In all areas. Be it fashion, food, beauty or mobility, the retail sector must have the courage to embrace innovations and to reinvent itself. But in a symbiosis rather than going it alone. Shared spaces are the perfect embodiment of this coming together. The concept shows what can happen when thematic questions are re-examined together, establishing the basis for something new and unique.

On an area measuring almost 1,000 square metres, visitors will find a bridging architecture that leads them intuitively through the four sectors that are interconnected by shared spaces. This visualises the need to pollinate the four areas – in order to be able to grow, change and inspire.

Beginning in the Space Fashion category, it soon becomes apparent that, in times of e-commerce, fashion stores need to do far more than merely present and sell goods. Above all, this is about actively seeking out proximity to the customer, about having a unique platform of their own. An intimate atmosphere is created for customers, with individualised advice and optimised lighting. In this way, changing rooms – generally tolerated by customers at best – are transformed into something special. In the midst of the shopping jungle, the changing room of the future will serve as a kind of retreat, where customers can find some welcome privacy.

The Fashion x Food shared space illustrates how fashion and food come together. For example, the latest “superfood” is examined in detail, showing the origin of mushrooms, farmed on leased land, served up on a plate, made into vegan leather and an end product in the form of a shopping bag that can be used on location. This satisfies the longing for the all-pervasive, highly modern lifestyle and values – in a word: sustainability. This also means creatively rethinking fusion ideas that present themselves. The mushroom as a symbol for shared products.

Where is this particular food grown and prepared? In the Space Food category. Here, a co-farming element explicitly meets the growing need for biodiversity and for food to be traceable every step of the way back to the producer. The highlight is the value chain shown here, from initial sowing to the finished mushroom dish. Interacting directly with food experts, guests feel that all their needs are met. A visit to the supermarket becomes an experience that offers new ideas and inspiration related to food.

Sustainability is also a concern for customers when it comes to beauty products. Rather than merely consuming products without thought or involvement, they now want transparency and to enter into a dialogue about a jointly created new experience within their shared environment. In the Food x Beauty shared space, the craving for reflection in fast-moving times is satisfied creatively through a herb garden. Rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus – for spicing up meals, drinking as tea or as an ingredient in beauty oils. The focus here is on the endearing humility and valuable experiences that promote dialogue about shared values and provide the space needed for a moment’s reflection.

What is inside determines what is outside – this philosophy is increasingly being adopted by brands. It is also well known in the beauty segment, whose philosophy embraces mindfulness and lifestyle. In the Space Beauty category, for example, visitors will find a “detox room” for relaxing and recharging. It is designed as a sculpture with an interior covered with felted lambswool. Calming white noise and a detox light help visitors to switch off.

The holistic aspect also manifests itself in the Beauty x Mobility shared space. After all, what would a beautifully designed car be without a scent? The Scent Bar invites visitors to sample fragrances inspired by rubber or leather seats, appealing to consumers’ senses in a way that e-commerce simply cannot. Scents are a valuable weapon for bricks-and-mortar retailing. By influencing the human brain, they are also able to steer decisions.

In times in which cars are no longer status symbols, the sector is in need of a radical rethink. Personal moments are created in the Space Mobility category. Customers are immersed into the central sculpture of an abstract driver’s cab and see a simulated outside world passing by the roof and sides, recreating various driving scenarios. These correspond to the guest’s emotional state. Rather than being configured online, the car is shown in entirely tactile form as an abstract art installation. The mixture of individual experience and knowledge has great potential.

In the Mobility x Fashion shared space, everything revolves around the notion of the perfect host. Given the very small number of genuine interactions – itself due to many transactions being effected online – this is increasing in emotional significance. Face-to-face customer advice and calm, thorough customer interaction are essential here – an area in which retail is far superior to e-commerce. The Mood Bar is the physical and functional starting point. To begin with, eyetracking is used to determine customers’ current emotional state. With their personalised token, they receive a welcome drink and then begin – with suitably adapted lighting mood – their individual shopping experience in the area of fashion or their personalised driving experience in the mobility segment.

EuroShop 2020 shows what happens when uncertainty turns to courage – when a whole new visionary concept of shared spaces is then projected onto the rooms. This makes it clear how holistic thinking leads to symbiotic moments and, in turn, produces creative answers for the retail sector.